The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has accused Nigeria’s security agencies of applying double standards in the enforcement of laws, particularly in their handling of illegal activities in the Niger Delta compared to other parts of the country.
PANDEF spokesman, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi, on Wednesday, during a media chat with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ughelli Correspondents’ Chapel, questioned why artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta are met with heavy militarisation and destruction, while other illegal activities, such as artisanal gold mining in other regions, thrive with little or no similar intervention.
Obiuwevbi described the situation as unjust and discriminatory, noting that oil and gas resources, like gold and other solid minerals, belong to the entire nation and should be treated equally under the law.
He stressed that illegality should not be defined by geography, warning that selective enforcement deepens feelings of marginalisation and fuels discontent in the region.
He said PANDEF was not advocating lawlessness, but fairness, equity, and justice in governance and security operations across Nigeria.
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Also, he painted a grim picture of the Niger Delta, attributing widespread poverty, declining life expectancy, and environmental degradation to decades of neglect despite the region’s enormous contribution to the nation’s wealth.
According to him, oil exploration and gas flaring have destroyed farmlands, polluted rivers, and wiped out traditional livelihoods, leaving communities dependent on imported frozen fish and struggling with hunger and disease.
“Our rivers are dead, our farmlands are poisoned, and our people are dying,” Obiuwevbi lamented, adding that life expectancy in the Niger Delta is barely above 50 years, with burial ceremonies becoming a routine feature of community life.
He criticised what he termed “political clean-up” exercises in the region, including the much-publicised Ogoni clean-up, arguing that there is little evidence of tangible environmental remediation.
Drawing from personal experience, he recalled how oil pollution rendered once-fertile farmlands unproductive, destroying subsistence agriculture across the region.
On the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Obiuwevbi corrected what he described as a distorted historical narrative surrounding its establishment.
He stated that the commission was not willingly created by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but rather came into existence through the collective resolve of Niger Delta governors and lawmakers who mobilised across party lines and invoked constitutional powers to override presidential refusal.
He attributed the creation of the NDDC to the efforts of governors such as Chief James Ibori of Delta State and Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State, alongside committed legislators, including late Senator Fred Brume.
While acknowledging that past NDDC administrations failed to meet expectations despite huge financial inflows, Obiuwevbi commended the current board led by Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, describing its performance as visible and commendable across the region.
He said the present leadership is faithfully implementing the NDDC master plan, which has begun to yield results.
